69 Facts About Herbert Chapman

Herbert Chapman was an English football player and manager.

Herbert Chapman is regarded as one of the game's greatest innovators.

Herbert Chapman took over at Huddersfield Town, winning an FA Cup and two First Division titles in the period of four years.

In 1925, Arsenal successfully tempted Herbert Chapman to join them, and he led the club to its first ever silverware by winning one FA Cup and two First Division titles.

Herbert Chapman introduced new tactics and training techniques to the game and the use of physiotherapists.

Herbert Chapman led the team, rather than letting board members lead.

Herbert Chapman used floodlighting, European club competitions and numbered shirts, and has received many posthumous honours in recognition.

Herbert Chapman was born in Kiveton Park, near Rotherham on 19 January 1878.

Herbert Chapman's father, John, was a coal miner, but rather than spend his life working down the pit, the young Herbert was bright enough to win a place at Sheffield Technical College, where he studied mining engineering.

Herbert Chapman was one of eleven children and was born into a keen sporting family, with two of his brothers playing professional football.

Herbert Chapman's playing career was that of a typical journeyman, owing mostly to the fact he often played as an amateur; this meant that whether he could play for a particular club was dictated by whether he could find an appropriate job nearby.

Herbert Chapman first played as a youth for his local side, Kiveton Park Colliery, winning the Hatchard Cup in 1896 alongside team-mates Walter Wigmore and William Ross.

Herbert Chapman played at inside right, and although he lacked the skill of his brother Harry, he compensated for it with his strength and robustness.

Herbert Chapman was released by Grimsby and drifted down into non-league football with a brief spell at Swindon Town, playing three games and scoring twice, but had to leave the club as he was unable to find a job in the area.

Herbert Chapman finished as United's top scorer but was injured at the end of this season, and still unable to find a job.

Herbert Chapman turned professional again, but only made seven appearances in two years for County, scoring once.

In 1907, as he was about to leave Tottenham Hotspur, Herbert Chapman had recommended Spurs team-mate Walter Bull to his old club Northampton Town, as their new manager.

However, Bull changed his mind, and in turn recommended that Herbert Chapman take the job instead.

Herbert Chapman changed his mind about retiring from the game, and instead agreed to become player-manager of Northampton Town.

Herbert Chapman thus set about creating a tactical framework for all his players; he dropped the half backs back to give his forwards more space and draw the opposition defenders out of the penalty area, while encouraging his own back line to pass their way out of trouble.

Herbert Chapman was keen to get Northampton Town into the Football League, but with no automatic promotion or relegation rules at the time this proved very difficult.

Herbert Chapman proposed a new two-division Football Alliance underneath the two divisions of the Football League, with automatic promotion and relegation, but this was rejected at the time.

Herbert Chapman played an essential part in lobbying for the side's readmission and Leeds City were duly re-elected.

Herbert Chapman, meanwhile, had decided to help the war effort by taking up a position as manager of a munitions factory at Barnbow, near Cross Gates in 1916.

Herbert Chapman returned to Leeds City from Barnbow after hostilities had ended, but resigned suddenly in December 1918, eventually moving to Selby to take up a position as a superintendent at an oil and coke works.

Herbert Chapman was still working at the coke works in Selby when his ban was imposed, but by Christmas 1920 the company was sold up and he was laid off.

The ban was overturned, and Herbert Chapman was formally installed as Langley's assistant on 1 February 1921.

Herbert Chapman was promoted to full secretary-manager, replacing Langley, the following month, and soon made an impact, signing players such as England international Clem Stephenson from Aston Villa and 18-year-old unknown George Brown.

Herbert Chapman had been granted control of all footballing affairs at the club and made this responsibility work to his advantage, encouraging the club's reserve and third teams to play the same style of football so that their players would function effectively in the first team if selected.

Herbert Chapman employed a wide-ranging scouting network to find the right players for his tactical system.

Herbert Chapman must be experienced and possess the highest qualifications for the post, both as to ability and personal character.

At Arsenal, Herbert Chapman immediately made an impact by signing 34-year-old Charlie Buchan, an England international and Sunderland's all-time record goalscorer, whom he made Arsenal captain.

Herbert Chapman came to Arsenal promising to make them the Newcastle of the South.

Buchan's idea, implemented by Herbert Chapman, was to move the centre half from a roaming position in midfield to a "stopper" position in defence.

Herbert Chapman was able to refine and improve on the idea better than his rivals, melding the tactical change with his own ideas on counter-attacking football, pacy wingers and a strong defence.

Sir Henry Norris was indicted for his part and banned from football, but Herbert Chapman escaped punishment, and with the autocratic Norris replaced by the more benign Samuel Hill-Wood, Herbert Chapman's power and influence within the club increased, allowing him control over all aspects of the club's business.

Herbert Chapman persevered in building the team, strengthening his attacking lineup with the signings of David Jack in 1928, and Alex James and Cliff Bastin in 1929.

Herbert Chapman was less successful in his attempt to sign Jimmy McGrory from Celtic.

Herbert Chapman had set up a meeting with Celtic manager Willie Maley and young McGrory in summer 1928 when Maley and McGrory were on their way to a pilgrimage in Lourdes.

Herbert Chapman later broke the all-time goalscoring record.

Herbert Chapman employed a robust front line of Lambert supported by David Jack and Alex James as deep-lying inside forwards, filling the gap vacated by the movement of the centre half into defence; Alex James in particular, with his passing supplying the front men, became celebrated as the engine of the team during the coming decade.

Herbert Chapman employed Bastin and Hulme as pacy wingers who could cut inside instead of hugging the touchline; they could either shoot for goal themselves or pick each other out if the centre forward was marked out of the game.

Herbert Chapman was equally committed to a strong defence, saying that maintenance of a back line was "the rock bottom of football".

Herbert Chapman's system demanded a high level of fitness from his players, something which he strongly emphasised.

Herbert Chapman did not have any input into the selection process, the team being determined by the FA's International Selection Committee, but did advise on tactics and gave pre-match team talks.

Wary of his ageing Arsenal team and the club's inadequate reserves, it was around this time that Herbert Chapman noted to club director George Allison: "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild".

Herbert Chapman started the process, signing Ray Bowden, Pat Beasley and Jimmy Dunne, and had converted the young George Male from left half to right back.

Herbert Chapman celebrated New Year in London before travelling north on a scouting trip to see Bury play Notts County on 1 January 1934.

Herbert Chapman returned to London nursing a cold but was well enough to watch an Arsenal third team match against Guildford City.

Herbert Chapman died in the early hours of 6 January 1934 at his home in Hendon.

Herbert Chapman was buried four days later in St Mary's Churchyard, Hendon.

Herbert Chapman was one of the first football managers in the modern sense of the word, taking full charge of the team, rather than letting board members pick the side.

Herbert Chapman encouraged his players to openly discuss tactics and the game, instituting weekly team meetings at his clubs, and encouraged them to socialise in extra-curricular activities such as golf.

Herbert Chapman wrote regularly on football for the Sunday Express newspaper, and a collection of his writings was published after his death in a book, entitled Herbert Chapman on Football.

Unlike many of his contemporaries in Britain, Herbert Chapman was a fan of the continental game and counted among his friends Hugo Meisl and Jimmy Hogan, coaches of the Austrian "Wunderteam" of the 1930s.

Herbert Chapman had proposed a Europe-wide club competition more than twenty years before the European Cup was instituted, and regularly took his teams abroad to play foreign sides.

Herbert Chapman was one of the first managers to consider signing black and foreign players; as well as signing Walter Tull, one of the first black professionals in the game, for Northampton Town in 1911, he attempted to recruit Austrian international goalkeeper Rudy Hiden for Arsenal in 1930, but was blocked by the Ministry of Labour, after protests from the Players' Union and the Football League.

Herbert Chapman did however succeed in signing Gerard Keyser, the first Dutchman to play English league football, as an amateur the same year, and Hiden was signed by Jimmy Hogan for Racing Club de Paris.

Herbert Chapman had lights installed in Highbury's new West Stand when it was constructed in 1932; however, they were used only for training, and Arsenal would have to wait until the 1950s for their officially sanctioned use in matches.

Herbert Chapman oversaw much of the development of Highbury in the early 1930s, including the building of the West Stand and the addition of a clock which was eventually placed by the south terrace, giving it the name of the "Clock End".

Herbert Chapman is credited with being behind the renaming of London Underground's Gillespie Road station to Arsenal.

Herbert Chapman even designed the scoreboard and turnstiles at the stadium.

Herbert Chapman advocated the use of white footballs and numbered shirts, as well as adding hoops to Arsenal's socks to make it easier for players to pick each other out.

Herbert Chapman later made a further change to Arsenal's kit, adding white sleeves to the previously all-red shirt and brightening the colour, before a match against Liverpool on 4 March 1933; the same kit theme of red with white sleeves or trim survives to this day.

Herbert Chapman was honorary president of Scottish amateur football club Chirnside United until his death in 1934.

In 2003, Herbert Chapman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact as a manager.

An English Heritage blue plaque commemorating Herbert Chapman was unveiled in March 2005, at the house in Hendon where Herbert Chapman lived from 1926 until his death.

Herbert Chapman was the first footballer or football manager to be commemorated in this way by English Heritage.

In tribute to his achievements at Arsenal, a bronze bust of Herbert Chapman, sculpted by Jacob Epstein resided inside the marble halls of the East Stand of Arsenal Stadium, Highbury until its closure in 2006 and will be reinstated there once redevelopment work in the stadium is completed.